


How It Has To Be

by LetTheGayBegin



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Howard Stark's A+ Parenting, Kid Tony Stark, issa bad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-23
Updated: 2017-12-23
Packaged: 2019-02-18 19:26:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,036
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13106934
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LetTheGayBegin/pseuds/LetTheGayBegin
Summary: Tony Stark has been de-aged. His usual angst, pint sized, with less handle on his emotions. It goes as disastrous as you'd imagine.





	How It Has To Be

He was a kid. Of course he was. Tony flailed, wishing he could at least get one good kick on the guys carrying him. But he's small and he remembers being this age, the growth spurt- he was more bones than anything else. A kid. Tony nearly laughed. He still had the same brain. He was still a genius. He could still make these assholes regret ever messing with him.

The cell he was thrown into is dark, barely any light filtering in and the doors are quickly slammed shut behind him. He can't help just tugging at the door, desperately trying to get it open and nearly crying when it doesn't open.

Dammit, Tony internally snaps at himself. Kids instincts or something. His own memories but his kid brain?

"Hello?" Someone asks and Tony flinches hard. "Hey, sorry, it's- how old are you?"

Tony recognises that voice. "Cap?" Tony winces at his own voice. "I'm- where are you?"

"How old are you?" There's that familiar anger.

Tony glances down at himself, trying to guess. "Nine. Where are you? It sounds like you're chained down, I can pick the locks."

"I'm in the corner, on your left."

Tony follows the wall with one hand, eventually able to make Steve out in the shadows. The chains are a basic padlock but Steve looks beaten up. Fresh injuries. They probably come in, routinely, or drug him up, making sure he can't just break out.

"What are you doing in here?" Steve asks, and Tony can finally see the look of fear and concern directed at him. "You're a kid, what would Hammer want with you?"

"Hammer?" Tony instantly replies. "Justin Hammer? He's a prick."

Steve barks out a laugh. "Well, you're not wrong."

The chains are easy, the padlocks already a little worn from where Steve has already tried to break free. Too easy. "You'd think they'd get better locks against Captain America. This is ameteur. Are they even trying? They're after your blood- obviously- but if they're keeping you in here they should at least put some money into proper locks."

"What's your name?" Steve asks, a spark of amusement in his eyes. "You sound just like my friend Tony."

"Um, well, I'm Tony."

"Well, my friends should be arriving soon, we'll get you out in no time."

Tony is about to correct him. The words get stuck in his mouth, watching Steve get up and test the door, his brain quickly working on a way out. Why wasn't Tony telling him? It'd be easy. 'I'm Tony Stark'. Easy. So why wasn't he? He was an important memeber of the team, he knows that. They'd survive without him but there's no way they'd let a random kid stay with them. And there was no way Tony would let them put him in foster care or, god, SHIELD care. So he has to tell them. So why wasn't he?

"Ok, Tony," Steve pauses, crouching down so he could look Tony in the eyes, gently but firmly grabbing his shoulders. "The doors gonna be loud when I force it open. The guards will be quick to come. There's a vent just outside the door though and I'll give you a boost. You need to find Agent Coulson as soon as you can. Anyone in full black like the guards who brought you here is the enemy. Ok? Coulson will be in a fancy suit, he's part of SHIELD, he'll get you out. Can you remember that?" Tony just nods, a wave of childish fear overwhelming him. "Ok. It's going to be ok. You're a smart kid. You can do this."

Steve doesn't wait for a responce. He gives one last glance at Tony, about to break the door open. Tony takes a deep breathe, nodding.

Seconds later, he's in the vent. Steve didn't bother trying to be gentle, grabbing Tony and pushing him up into the vent. He's probably got bruises on his ribs from where Steve picked him up, but he can be mad about that later. The vents are dim and when he moves to quickly its loud. He focuses on moving east, that was the way he remembers coming from.

Then the vent is gone from under him, leaving him falling. He nearly screams, squeezing his eyes shut, not knowing how far it is he's going to fall. But someone catches him quickly.

"Oh my god, it's a kid," a panicked voice quickly says. "A kid!"

"Shut up Clint, you'll alert the guards," the woman holding him hisses, before gently tapping Tony, who still hadn't openned his eyes. "Kid?"

Clint heaves a sigh, pulling him away and setting him down on his feet, giving a comforting smile when Tony forces his eyes open. "Hey kid, sorry about that, didn't know you were... a kid."

"'M not a kid," Tony can't help muttering, looking around at Natasha who looked awkward- a sight he was definitely going to remember.

"Of course not," Clint says, pulling back his attention. "What's your name?"

"Tony."

"Who helped you into the vent?"

"Cap." Tony glanced between them. "So why are you both in this room? You're clearly not trapped. They used shitty chains on Captain America, yeah, but they can't be that slow. So, what, where were you heading? Cap is a bit wounded, he's west- probably, that's where he was last."

Natasha looks a little startled. "We're mostly here to save Stark. We're hoping to get there before Cap, we've got a bet."

"A bet on who will save him first?" Tony snorts. "Well, you two are stuck with a kid now, so you'll have to pay up."

"Well, we said save Tony- you're Tony. Tomato, potato," Clint snickers.

"Ah, ah, ah, Cap saved me first," Tony waggles a finger at him. "Either way, it looks like Cappy-boy wins."

There's a pause, before Natasha sighs. "Fine. Clint, get him out of here, I'll go west to try and find Steve. Hopefully we'll get back before Bruce decides to watch the movie without us."

"Wait, that- hey!" Tony kicks out, annoyed when Clint easily lifts him up. "No, listen, I can help! You're here for the tesseract energy gun things right? I can help!"

Natasha's gaze turn suspisious. "How do you know about those?"

"I'm a genius," Tony rolls his eyes. "They're in the... the, uh, main deck bellow? I think that's where they said it was. That or second main deck."

Clint chuckles. "I like him. Can we keep him? He can replace Stark."

"Sure, Stark'll take that well." But she's smiling, back to looked at Tony with a fond look. "Let's find Cap first."

And so they go, Natasha lifting Tony up and carrying him out, following Tonys directions. They soon meet up with Steve, who frowns when he spots Tony.

"Hey, I told you to get out," is the first thing he says.

"He's ours now," Clint states. "We called dibs."

"He's overheard important information," Natasha points out. Tony is surprised when she turns so Steve can't pull him out her hold, resting him slight on her hip. "He'd be too helpful to send away. Plus, it'd be dangerous. He's coming with us."

Natahsa and Steve stare for a while, Steve being the one to eventually give in with a sigh.

"If he gets hurt, it's on you Widow."

Tony feels her tense, though she just nods. Tony can't help frown, putting his arms around her neck in a hug that he hopes is comforting. Judging by her understanding smile, she gets the message anyway.

* * *

Natasha was right. Tony was a massive help and, if he doesn't say so himself, they couldn't have done it without him. He's incredibly smug and it's probably not helping that Clint is encouraging him. Natasha as well, surprisingly.

Now, Coulson is talking to them all about him. They still think he's a kid, which makes Tony wince. He doesn't know how to just tell them. They think he's missing, they can't find his suit and they want to send him back to his parents.

His parents. It's something he hadn't thought about, not really. He'd kind of forgotten about it and it was a subject he ignored anyway. When he did, on his bad days, he'd drown himself in alcohol. But he couldn't do that, not right now anyway, he's a kid. Which leaves him here, with his grief- a grief he should have dealt with decades ago, but he isn't exactly healthy.

"They're dead," he eventually manages to say, everyone instantly falling silent. He doesn't bother looking up at them. "I don't have any family left, not really. They're either dead or would kill me were you to force me on them and I wish that was an exaggeration. They're bastards, the lot of them."

There's a pause. It isn't until Natasha pulls him into a restrictive, borderline painful hug that he realises he's crying. He hides his face, holding onto Natasha as tight as she is him.

"It's-- it'll be ok, we'll-" someone begins, Tony doesn't care who.

"No it won't," Natasha cuts them off, surprisingly sharp, more emotional than Tonys ever seen her be. "Don't lie to him. His parents are dead, of course it's not ok."

Tony is surprised that her bluntness actually helps. It's something people had always told him- it would be ok, it would get better. It hadn't, obviously. Finally having the reassurance that it's no ok, that it's not meant to be ok, is more comforting than Tony can comprehend.

It's a long moment until Tony calms down and by then he's exhausted, completely cried himself out. Natasha notices and lifts him up. When he looks up, he can see her silently asking someone to challenge her or say something she doesn't like. Tony nearly laughs. It's weird to see her so shamelessly protective of him.

"He's coming to the tower with us." Clint says, a finality in his voice, coming to stand by Natahsa. He rubs Tonys back for a moment. "We called dibs on him, remember?"

"You might not get a say in it," Coulson finally says. Tony can practically feel the tension that rises off the assassain twins. "If he has family that are looking for him, we'll have to hand him over."

When he feels Natasha relax, he goes over what Coulson said. That's when he realises. They're really going to take him in. If they find a missing report or if anyone comes looking for him, they'll hand him back. They're not going to go looking for his family.

On one hand, Tony is relieved beyond belief. He gets to go back to his tower, with his team, maybe even see Pepper again. On the other hand, they're too willing to let a random kid into his tower. His home. If Tony were here he'd be...

He's not told them. He still doesn't understand why he hasn't told them. They're clearly worried about him. The only reason they're not more worried is because they've got a kid with them, taking up their attention... right?

* * *

When they get back to the tower, it's late and everyone is exhausted. Bruce watched the movie without them and stays away from Tony. They go to bed, putting Tony in one of the guest rooms and that's it for the night.

Kind of. Tony waits an hour before getting up and going down to his workshop. JARVIS is quick to inform him that this is "Mr Starks workshop and is currently in lockdown while Mr Stark is gone".

Tony is quick to use his override code, giving strict orders to JARVIS to keep this secret. His AI is a little too sneaky sometimes and Tony is specific enough that there's no way JARVIS could go against him.

With a scan, Tony is a little surprised that he was right in guessing his age. He's also surprised to find he's not in any way obviously magically de-aged. He'd suspected his heart being on a loop, since his emotions and physical strain don't make any difference, so he isn't suprised by that. More worried. There's got to be some reason it's on loop, probably something to do with his now-missing arc reactor.

Tony has the workshop locked down to everyone (besides him, when the correct code is given) and heads back upstairs. He doesn't manage to get back to his room. The room spins rather suddenly, catching him completely unsurprised. Tony only just manages to remind JARVIS not to tell anyone that he was in the workshop before passing out.

* * *

When Tony wakes up, his shoulder aches. There's a distant rumble of voices, some laughter. Shuffling up, he accidentally trips backwards, back hitting a door rather loud. He groans quietly, rubbing his sore shoulder.

"Oh," Bruce says quietly, blinking in surprise when he opens the door Tony bumped into.

"'M sorry," Tony grumbles, voice slightly croaking. "I fell asleep."

"On... on the floor?"

Tony can't help flushing, mumbling quietly, "I was lonely."

Bruce looks at him for a long moment. "Why didn't you knock?"

"You were sleepin."

"Next time knock, ok? The bed I was given is way too big for one man anyway."

Tony looks up in surprised. Bruce hates sharing his space. But he gives Tony a reassuring, nervous smile. "Um, ok, uh, thanks."

"I'm going to my lab after some breakfast. You could hang around if you want?"

That makes Tony perk up. Bruce had recently banned him from the lab so he could work on something privately. "What are you working on?"

Bruce chuckles, heading towards the kitchen. "I'll show you when we go down. What do you want to eat?"

"Something with bacon."

Natasha smiles when she spots Tony bounding into the kitchen after Bruce, helping him up onto one of the chairs. "Good morning, little one. You weren't in bed this morning."

"He wasn't?" Steve turns around, frowning.

Bruce seemed to catch Tonys hesitation. "He woke me up pretty early. He's a smart kid."

The other two looked relieved. They'd been worried then. This made Tony frown, though he easily covered it up. He couldn't stay like this forever, obviously, it was dangerous. But he didn't know how to tell them either. 

He'd been planning on finding wherever Loki decided to hang around and go out and find him. It'd been easy to figure out that it was Loki and easier to figure out that Loki hadn't done this willingly. Not that Loki would ever reveal it. So Loki would want to see Tony, so that he could rub it in his face, taunt him, whatever. If Tony were to find him to thank him, Loki would turn him back. But now... 

* * *

For the first week he's at the tower, it's fun. He spends a lot of time in the lab with Bruce, trying to help him as much as he can whilst de-aged. Natasha drags him out a lot, though. After the one day, she realises just how smart he is and decides to teach him Russian instead. Clint hates it, makes it known and tends to find them after half an hour just so he can sit in and annoy them. It's fun.

He expects Steve to talk to him, or try to spend time with him. Instead, he's surprised to realise that Steve is avoiding him. It hurts more than he thought it would. He'd thought Steve didn't like him because of his intruduction or the fact that he reminded him of Howard- something that caused a massive rift between them. But it turns out Steve just didn't like him.

Pulling all the confidence he can muster, Tony decides to confront him. It's been eleven days. The others have started to give Steve looks, purposely dragging Tony away from him. He was tired of it. They had to talk.

With the help of JARVIS, Tony tracked down Steve. He was on the deck, shoulders hunched, looking out at the city. It was early morning, sunrise- one of the very few times Steve was awake and the team was not. It wasn't much of an openning, the others would soon wake and pull Tony away, but it was time none-the-less.

"I know I'm not the best person," Tony begins, startling Steve, who looked confused. "I never have been and probably never will. The spoiled little rich kid, ya know? But I have been trying. Throw me a bone here, ok?"

"What do you mean?"

"You're avoiding me like I'm about to break your shield," Tony snaps, Steves wince confirming that it's true. "What have I done wrong?"

Steve looks out at the city, contemplating for a moment. "You haven't told the rest of the team."

"What?"

"I know you're you, Tony. I asked JARVIS for your full name." Steve still didn't look at him.

Tony grimced. "Oops?"

"I want to be mad at you. You're lying to us. But..." Steve finally looks at him and Tony wishes he hadn't. He looks like he's in pain. "You keep looking at us like you think we're going to hit you."

"Well sometimes I forget I'm not actually a kid ok, it's not a big deal." Tony mutters, hunching over. "I keep planning to tell them. I don't know. You should've just told them when you found out. It doesn't matter."

"What did Howard do to you?"

Tony glances up, surprised to see anger on Steves face. "A lot. It doesn't matter anymore, he's dead." Tony winces, the pain still feeling fresh. He pushes it down.

"Tony. Tell me."

"Where do you want me to start, big guy? It's a deep well and I'm pretty sure you don't want to fall down it."

"Did he ever hit you?"

"When he was drunk or when he was sober?"

Steve flinches. "Drunk?"

"He was a mean drunk that took his emotions out on those around him and I was desperate for his attention." Tony shrugs. "He wasn't any different sober but at least then he wouldn't aim for my face."

"Aim for- jesus Tony," Steve kneels down, reaching out to hug him but stopping himself. "I didn't- I mean- that's... Didn't your Ma try and stop him?"

"Like I'd let her."

Steve looks proud for a moment but quickly deflates. "I'm sorry Tony, I didn't- I never realised that it was that bad."

Tony is the one to reach out and hug Steve. "No one knows, how could you have guessed?"

Steve holds him a little tighter. "I mean, I knew Howard. Well... no, I didn't. I kind of hated him. Respected him, maybe admired him but..." Steve huffs, glad that the hug lets him hide his face from Tony. He feels, somehow, betrayed by Howard. "I don't know how anyone could ever say you're like him, Tony. You're everything good that people thought he was and better. He never deserved you."

"You hate me."

Steve makes a choked sound that Tony suspects is a laugh. "I just don't know how to talk to you. You're just so..." 

Steve finally pulls aways and Tony is surprised to see him wiping away tears. 

"Tony, how do you not see how kind you are? Natasha is a spy for a company you openly despise and has lied to you in the past, you met Clint properly just after he was mind controlled to try and- technically- kill you and, from what you've said in the past, you've been forced to compete with me for affection from your abusive father. But you let us into your home. You trust us. You do everything you can to help us fit in and feel comfortable. I know for a fact you've told Natasha exactly where all the hidden weapons are and it was you, indirectly through JARVIS, who told Clint how to get into the vents. You designed my room which is... it's perfect, it's not too technilogical and it's familiar enough without being painful. You're the one who pushed me to see Peggy when I was too stupid to think about how little time she had left. How could I hate you?"

Tony realises he's crying and he quickly wipes his face. "You're giving me an ego."

"Another one?"

Tony snorts, glad that Steves smile is finally reaching his eyes.

* * *

Steve starts to talk to him and spend time with him. It's slow and the team seems reluctant to let them spend any time alone together. Once they do, they fix whatever broken friendship they have. It's weird, because sometimes Tony can't help but just be a kid, but Steve eventually gets him to stop apologizing for anything bad that happens.

They spend less than a quarter of the time they spend together looking for Loki with JARVIS. And that's just because Steve gets up and goes down to the workshop with Tony.

They start spending time outside too, on Steves suggestion. Tony is surprised by how much he enjoys it. Being an adult, he's used to being inside, either his tower or a full room of people smoozing. When he was a kid, he'd be forced on play-dates and a bording school that made him spend more time outside.

Tony is keen to meet Pepper and he eventually starts to remind Steve. It's weird having Steve as the one he can confide in, but it works. He's a lot more willing to keep it secret if it means Tony lets him bagger on at him about his health and sleep. It was the deal they bargained. One that Tony sometimes regrets, wishing he could snap at Steve and tell him that he isn't actually a kid, he can take care of himself. On the other hand, it's nice. It leaves him with less stress.

Meeting Pepper isn't as weird as he thought it would be. They kick it off pretty quickly, become easy friends and she's soon coming to the tower to have short little talks. He still doesn't know how to get into his fortune or work though.

Eventually, the team gets called off to a mission. Pepper promises that if they don't get back in time for dinner, she'd make sure Tony is fed and if they aren't there by night, she'd take a short leave to watch over him. 

Natasha is the most cautious to leave and she makes it very well known when people try to reassure her. "He's a nine year old kid who's been spotted with us, who's known to live here with us and we're leaving him on his own."

Eventually, though, they do leave. Natasha makes sure JARVIS is on high-alert before leaving, giving Tony a hug and making him promise that if anyone breaks in, he hides. He tells her not to worry, anyone who tries to take him is an idiot. It manages to pull a smile form her.

But no one breaks in... kind of. Tony considers it a break in.

"So," Fury begins. "You still don't have any missing reports."

Tony knows this. He also knows JARVIS helped him find a solid alibi and documentation that would definitely fool SHIELD. It was deep and realistic enough that, just in case, it could fool some actual people.

"We have to put you in care," Fury eventually says. "Adoption. It's not our choice. It's the law."

"No it's not," Tony snaps. "I'm not an idiot. The Avengers have taken on the role as my guardians and Coulson promised to make sure it was legally sound so I wouldn't have to go up for adoption."

Fury stares at him for a long moment. "You're too smart for your own good, kid."

"Then it's a good job I'm with the Avengers."

Fury smirks, pressing a button that made his head warp weirdly. His face changes weirdly and Tonys brain is quick to fire off possibilities of what it is. Mask? Electrical mask? An opticle illusion? Natasha has a screen mask that changes your face to look like someone else, it could be that.

The mandarin.

* * *

When Tony wakes up, agony shoots through him. His head is pounding, a sharp pain on the side of his head that he suspects has been bleeding. Where he was hit, knocked out, then. His wrists are strapped down, too tight, cutting most of the blood circulation. His stomach throbs, one of his ribs the same. He'd been punched to be awoken.

Tony blinks up at the smirking face of some unknown thug. Not above beating children then.

"You're the genius then?" They sneer. "Don't worry, kid, we'll only hurt you if you fight us."

"Is that the plan then? Beat me until I do whatever you say? What if I don't? It won't take long for the Avengers to find me. That'll be fun to see."

That seems to be what he'd been hoping to hear. He moves to a control pad, the wall Tony is facing jerking after a moment and it begins to slide away. There must have been a screen, Tony reasons, because there's still what looks like thick glass there. But now he can see through it and there's half of the Avengers, in various states of drugged-up.

Bruce seems to be the worst. He's hooked up, unconsious. Steve is also hooked up to some sort of drip, strapped pretty thoroughly to a chair and gagged. His eyes widen when he spots Tony. Natasha is there too, swaying but her eyes are alert.

"They can't hear us, unfortunately," the thug informs Tony, striding back over. "But I'm very willing to pass along any message. If you want to say goodbye..."

"Oh, go fuck yourself."

His head snaps round rather violently, the punch making his vision white out for a moment.

"It's a shame. I'll just have to kill one of them if you continue like this. Wouldn't that be a shame." Tony quickly turns back, glaring. The man just grins. "I'm afraid it'll have to be the girl."

Tony can't help looking to Natasha, fear coursing through him. She doesn't have special healing powers and she can't just hulk out on them. They could just snap her neck and that'd be it. Done. There's too many straps even for her to break out of and who knows how long it'd be until SHIELD gets back. How fast is Clint? Not fast enough.

She seems to realise whats happening. She shakes her head. She isn't gagged so Tony is able to read her lips when she says, "no, do not, fight, it's ok".

"Tick tock, tick tock," the thugh taunts. "I don't want to kill her unless I have to, boy. She could be useful."

Tony swallows. "What do you want."

"Tony Stark." Tony looks up, the guy only looking more pleased. "We've found Loki. Your search only helped us find him faster. But you're in a kids body and we don't want you to have any lapses or resistance. That's going to be fun, isn't it, kid? You've heard your friend talk about what it's like under mind control. I wonder if it's any different when it's perminant."

"Starks gone missing, the Avengers even said-" Tony tries, stuttering over his own words. He's cut off with another hit, this time aimed for his ribs. But he pushes forward, practically thrashing in an attempt at escape. "It's been a month, they can't find him, they thi-"

When the chair his strapped to is toppled back, his head slams harshly into the ground. Black spots appear in his vision, everything spinning violently, he barely holds onto conciousness as the guy leers over him.

* * *

When Tony comes to, there's a small circle of blood on his lap. His vision is blearly, though he can vaguely see the shapes of the other three Avengers. No one else is in the room with him. The straps feel weaker. Not weak enough to break but he slowly wiggles his arms, feeling his arm slowly start to pull out. Slowly. His skin burns, but he continues pulling.

It takes too long to pull his arms free and by the time he does his skin is raw, blistering, bleeding. When he stands up, everything spins again. He stumbles forward, wincing as he lands harshly on his knees. He nearly throws up, barely holding himself together. When gets up again, he stumbles again, leaning against the glass so he stays up-right.

This close, he can see the other three clearer. Natasha is looking at him like he's insane, trying to indicate he runs. It's like she can read his mind and can see he's going to do whatever to save them. Steve is doing something similar. It doesn't deter him.

He stumbles over to the control pannel. It takes him a minute or two to work it out, his head feeling incredibly fuzzy. The glass slides away, but Tony only waits until the gap is big enough for him to squeeze through before hurry to Steve.

"What are you doing?" Natasha demands. "Get out of here, nevermind us."

Tony ignores her. "This- this might hurt, I'm sorry m-my hands won't stop shaking."

It does hurt, apparently, he can hear Steves pained groan when he pulls the needles out. The straps come off easily next. Tony half expects Steve to scold him too, once Steves free. Instead, Steve pulls him into a short, rushed, but extremely gentle hug.

"Christ, Tony, you should've just left us," Steve whispers, though he doesn't sound mad. "Ok, go, get out as fast as you can. I'll get Nat and Bruce. The exit should be to the right." Steve doesn't let him go though, he's checking over his injuries. "Don't run, your head is pretty banged up. If there's vents, don't use them, they've got gas hidden in them. Go."

Tony hesistates, watching Steve helping Natasha get free, before finally turning to go. The exit is to the right. Tony stares for a moment once he's out the room, in the corridor. Steve is right. He can vaguely see a little window, the gravel. But Loki is more powerful than them, so he would be left.

Taking a deep breath, Tony walks quickly. He manages to avoid the guards, using how small he is to his advantage. By the time he's snuck into the room, Loki grinning at him from the chair he's strapped to like a cheshire cat, Tony almost regrets it. Loki is, fortunately, gagged. So he doesn't have to worry about the snide comments for a moment.

"You're still a prisoner, Loki, I can decide to just abandon you here," Tony hisses. "It's not like you've caused me a big burden by doing this." That wipes the smile off Lokis face. "So I don't want no bull from you. Nothing. You tell me one good reason why I should help you. And it better be good because I am very willing to die just so I can see your face when you're sent back home to daddy."

Loki is silent for a pause once Tony un-gags him. "You're going to die anyway," Loki finally says. "Your heart isn't supposed to be on loop. That is a side effect of the magic keeping you alive. Your... what is it... arc reactor? It is stolen. This magic will not last forever. Either way, you will die."

"Thanks for your optimism, you're making me want to help you less."

Loki twitches. "I can help you. I can turn you back so you can die as an adult or make this perminant. You might grow up faster, I do not know."

Tony considers it. "How long would I have as a kid before I turned back naturally?"

"Seven days."

"And there's no other option?"

"There might be, none that I can think of fast enough."

"Fast enough?"

"Your SHIELD friends are fast. They will be here in a few minutes." Loki looks at him, an oddly serious and genuine expression. "I give you my word, if you allow me freedom I will find you in six days with options. Ones that may be better than the two I have offered today."

"Do you know for sure that there are other options?"

"No, there may be no other options at all."

Tony can see the honesty on his face. There's no tricks. Loki looks tired, worn out and desperate. He has also, from what Thor has said, never broken his word. This is the best Tony is going to get.

By the time the SHIELD agents open the door, Loki is gone.

They have to put Tony in handcuffs, though they look like they hate it. They scold him, telling him that what he did was treason. Because he's a kid, he might get off lightly. One of them suggests he plead ignorance. The other one sighs. They both know Tony is a kid-genius. They suggest he claim Loki lied, a trick.

By the time they're out front, Tony is instead faced with a very, very, very pissed off Captain America.

"What on Earth were you thinking, Tony?" He scolds. "Loki? You set Loki free? You're not that stupid! I know you aren't! What is your reason? Or your excuse. You know he can't be trusted. You know. What were you thinking? You could have got yourself killed!"

"He could have gotten himself killed anyway!" Natasha says, just as angry. "You should have gone along with whatever they were saying. Pretended to be on their side. Mouthing off or openly denying them is what got you hurt in the first place! The way your head was bleeding, I wouldn't be surprised if you let Loki out because you got brain damage."

"Maybe he should stay at SHIELD," Clint says. He doesn't look mad just... tired.

"What?" Tony manages weakly.

"I'm sorry bud, but what you did was wrong. You shouldn't have been forced into a position where this could happen at all, anyway." Clint sighs. "You hate SHIELD, I know. That's why you should stay with them. Or... I don't know. Maybe Fury was right. We shouldn't have taken you in. You should've gone into care or adoption.

It feels like the planet has been ripped completely from under him. 

No one is saying anything. Not even Steve. When one of the agents silently pull him to one of the SHIELD cars, no one says anything. They let him be dragged away. 

When he looks back at them from the car, they don't even bother turning around. When the car starts to drive away, they walk towards the quinjet. They still have their backs to him.

* * *

He's stuck at SHIELD, in a cell. No one visits him. The guards try to be friendly, they feel bad for him, say they wish they could do something. He's just a kid. But he's stuck there. The only thing he says is, "have they called yet?"

The days pass too quick. It feels too soon when Loki appears in his cell.

"There is no other option," is how Loki greets him. "Once I realised such I decided to try to find your..." Loki gives a swift glance around and Tony realises that he knows Tony has kept his identity and is helping him keep it secret. It gains his trust so quick it startles Tony. "Device. I have sent it to your... home of work. I am afraid it is shattered. I cannot fix it and I can't guess just how broke it is. So. Your choice?"

"So..." Tony shifts. "I either get stuck like this, get changed back and die or..."

"Or? There is no other option."

Tony lifts his chin. "Or we do nothing."

Loki stares at him in disbelief. "You will die! You will have let me out for nothing! I am the villian of this tale, St-..." Loki clenches his jaw. "I will return when you are suffocating. If it's not too late, I will help if I can."

And then he's gone. The guard finally gets the door open, Lokis magic had been keeping it closed before. The guard looks at him with both surprise and horror. They quickly recover, grabbing his bicep and dragging him along, hissing under his breath.

When he's shoved into the debriefing room, the team seem as surprised to see him as he is them. They're clearly fresh out of battle, Bruce in SHIELD clothing, Steve bruised, Clint bloody and Natasha tired with what looks like scorch marks on her face. Even Thor is there, pristine but with dark circles under his eyes.

"What the hell are you doing, Agent?" Fury demands.

"The kid went to Loki because he's dying."

"What?" It's Clint, who is quick to rush to his side, checking for any obvious injury. "Dying of what? Did Loki help? Why didn't you say anything?"

Tony pushes him away, ignoring the flare of warmth at the care. "It doesn't matter, he can't do anything actually helpful, he spouted some shit about magic or limitations or whatever, who cares."

"I do," Steve says, not even bothering to get angry- geez, they must be tired. "Tony. Anything that will stop you dying, no matter what it is, is worth it. You don't need to be stupid."

"Maybe if you," he turns on Clint, "hadn't decided 'maybe he should stay at SHIELD' this would be fine." He shouldn't be snapping, but he's dying and dammit if he's going out without a bang and broken hearts. "A tower with a couple genius'? Yeah, maybe I could've worked something out." He turns to Steve. "But who really cares about ME?" He looks to Fury. "It's too late. I'm dying. Stopping me leaving or whatever won't do anyone any good."

He turns, storming off, surprised to hear Fury telling them to let him go. He walks fast, getting to the tower in record time. He locks himself in the workshop, making sure the door to the stairs is in lockdown so no one can see him through the workshops glass door. Loki was right, the arc reactor is completely destroyed, but not beyond saving.

JARVIS informs him, at some point, that the Avengers are back. He also tells him that Steve had tried to get downstairs. Tony stays silent, throwing himself into his work.

When the arc reactor is completely fixed, glowing and new, Loki appears.

"You are smarter than I gave you credit for," Loki says. "Are you sure this is what you want? Now?"

"Just... hurry it up... please?"

* * *

Tony makes sure the others are asleep before climbing into his suit to leave. He's already sent his letter to Fury. "I never did like team jobs". It takes longer to fly to his Malibu mansion than he thought it would. He just wishes he had it in him to kick the Avengers out. But he doesn't. He tells Pepper to move his things to Malibu and pay the ones that have to move the things in the workshop (under Happys supervision) extra. She doesn't question him.

Tony Stark returns; Iron Man gone

He isn't surprised how fast news gets out. He's surprised that Steve finds out through the tabloids. His texts make it sound like the entire team found out that way too. His only reply is the date the builders and such will arive to fix whatever broke when Bruce hulked out.

Steve shows up a few days later with a duffle-bag and some apologetic texts. Apparently the team hadn't taken too lightly to Steve refusing to help them find kid-Tony. Tony reluctantly let him stay but made sure, through JARVIS, that they never come into contact. He's gone again within a week.

Natasha also shows up, but she's genuinely there to try and find kid-Tony. Tony asks her why he should care about stray mutts. She slaps him.

Tony eventually has to go back to the tower. Dummy didn't fit in any boxes and never stayed still when out the workshop without Tony. He'd been putting it off as long as he can, but he knows that after a certain amount of time, Dummy will damage himself. Tony manages to avoid the team as he goes to the lab.

He freezes for a moment, surprised at how much it hurts to see his workshop bare. Dummy whirs over to him when he realises Tony is there. Tony pats him subconciously with one hand, his other coming up to tap the arc reactor.

"Mr Stark?" Someone asks, making Tony jump. "Is this what you need help moving up the stairs?"

Tony bristles. "My bot, Dummy, yeah."

He moves to the side, the two men easily lifting Dummy up. Tony knows they're just taking him to the van, the one Tony will be sat in, Dummy probably resting his hand on Tonys thigh, probably giving a sad whir. He'd always like Steve. Tony kind of felt like an asshole parent, forcing his kid away from his best friend just because he messed up.

"Tony?"

Tony winces, turning around to look at Bruce. "I was just getting Dummy. He had abandonment issues."

"Oh, you're not..." Bruce looks heartbroken. Tony can't help hating himself a little more, knowing he did that. "How's Malibu?"

"Warm. How's the Avengers?"

"The tabloids aren't wrong," Clint says as he walks in, not bothering to hide his anger, giving Tony a withering look. "We aren't the same. We're worse."

"You managed just fine without me."

"Yeah, because we thought you were missing or dead and thought we knew you- we thought you'd given a shit about us and wouldn't want us to be-..." Clint forces his back to Tony. "You don't care, Stark. You never have. It's nice to know where we stand."

Tony flinches. "Thanks."

"You should leave," Natasha says as she comes in, giving him a cold look. "This isn't your home anymore."

Tony glances between them, just for a moment. He doesn't bothering saying goodbye. He knows nothing he says will change anything. The same as he knew, when Loki had turned up again with an offer to turn him back into a kid to save him, this is just how it has to be.


End file.
